San Antonio, TX Short-Term Rentals: Host Platform Liability (2026)

The City of San Antonio's short-term rental ordinance places an enforcement duty directly on the platforms that list Type 1 and Type 2 rentals, not just on hosts. Section 16-1103(c) of the City Code requires that any platform displaying an STR listing for a San Antonio property make owners include a valid permit number in that listing. When the Development Services Department finds a listing with no permit number, or one that is invalid, expired or has been revoked, the city sends the platform a notice identifying the listing by its URL and stating the reason for removal; the platform then has ten business days to take the listing down.

This backstops the permitting scheme created by Sec. 16-1103(a), which bars any short-term rental from operating in the city without a current, valid permit, and by Sec. 16-1104, which sets the application process and one-time permit fees of $300 for Type 1 (owner- or operator-occupied) units and $450 for Type 2 units. A host who lists without a permit, or continues operating after a platform pulls the listing, remains separately liable: operating without a valid permit is a class C misdemeanor offense under Sec. 16-1110, enforced by the director of development services and the municipal court.

The platform-notice mechanism gives the city a direct tool against listings it cannot otherwise verify, since hosting platforms are the primary public-facing record of which units are being rented short term inside city limits.